This invention relates to a machine for automatically and sequentially filling a container with gas and closing the container while it is inflated.
In U.S. patent application Ser. No. 768,976, filed Feb. 16, 1977, the present inventor disclosed a sealed flexible container which is inflated above atmospheric pressure prior to sealing. The inflated container has several advantages, including a controlled environment for the item inside the container and added protection for the item since the inflation container acts as a cushion.
In packaging items such as plants in this container, it is necessary to inflate the container and immediately close and seal the container while it is inflated. Any delay in the sealing operation will allow the container to deflate. It is also necessary to accurately seal the container over the passage through which it is being inflated at the same time or immediately after the inflating means has been inserted into the passage.
The mass production of packaged items in inflated containers requires that the packaging be accomplished quickly, easily and efficiently with a minimum of manual operations. No machines of which the inventor is aware have heretofore been capable of producing the accurate and efficient operations for mass production of items in these inflated containers.